"Reports of my demise are much exaggerated," Deeds said. "If you believe and I believe and we believe together, we're going to win this election. We're going to carry forward and then we're going to take Virginia forward."

Supporters who waited in line for hours before the event shared the same optimism.

Deeds embraced Obama on the stage Tuesday, though he has at times appeared to keep the president at arm's length during the campaign.

"I hope that you're going to be voting on his track record and the fact that he has stood with families like yours for years," Obama said. "That's the kind of governor that Creigh Deeds is going to be."